Apple and Blackberry Crisp with Oat Topping: Comfort all Year
Who doesn’t love a good apple dessert? Pair it with tart blackberries and a nutty oat crisp topping and this apple and blackberry crisp with oat topping will have you licking the bowl clean. Or maybe that’s just me (no shame!).
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The Different Flavors of Apples
Apples are one of the only fruits that I’m familiar with that can have such a wide range of flavors. They’re all appley (is that even a word?) in their own way, but some are sweet, while others are tart, and then you have the red delicious that just isn’t very good. Sorry if you’re one of the few that like that apple!
Not only can the sweetness levels vary between varieties, the textures can be very different as well. Some apples are really only good for eating: I’m looking at you red delicious (oh wait, no one actually eats those anymore). Red delicious doesn’t have much of a flavor and is a bit mushy when fresh, it’s even worse when baked. If you’re going to eat them, eat them fresh and don’t bother baking them. On the other side, you have varieties such as braeburn and fuji that are firm when fresh and hold their shape well when baked. I find honeycrisp to be somewhat in the middle. You can get a beautiful, firm and juicy apple or pick wrong and get one that’s a bit grainy. Maybe it’s the Jekyll and Hyde of apples.
Lastly, the color can vary between apples as well. This doesn’t matter as much if you peel the apple, but if you aren’t it can make a big visual impact on your dessert. A splash of red or green peel left on an apple slice in the dessert can take it to a whole new level. Not everyone likes the peel, it can add a texture that definitely doesn’t fit every dessert, but in some instances it can add something special.
In this case, the apples are peeled so it doesn’t matter what the color of your apple is.
Why Blackberries?
Most people have had apple crisp of some sort in their life, it’s a pretty common dessert. But I think the blackberries set this version apart from others. Blackberries add a nice tartness to it. The sweetness of the apples (don’t use tart ones) and the tartness from the blackberries really work well together.
The blackberries also give the crisp a beautiful splash of red wine color. Apple crisp can be kind of boring to look at, white apples with brown topping. Everything kind of blends in together. The blackberries add a pop of color that makes this dessert much more visually appealing. We eat with our eyes first, then our nose and finally our taste buds. Having a beautiful looking dessert makes it taste even better.
Raspberries would work well in this dish if you don’t have any blackberries, or if you don’t like blackberries. I don’t think blueberries would have the same effect. They don’t have the same tartness or flavors that blackberries and raspberries do. Blueberries tend to be more mild in flavor and can easily be overridden by the apples. This dish needs berries that can stand on their own up against the bolder apples.
Apple and Blackberry Crisp with Oat Topping
I never make a crisp without oats in the topping. I’ve made so many with different types of fruit and I always add oats, even if the recipe I used didn’t call for them. I really like the flavor oats add to it and I think they give a little bit of visual contrast to the top of this dessert as well.
This dessert is very simple to make and requires very little hands on time. It’s the kind of dessert your kids will love helping you make, and helping you eat! Plus, it isn’t loaded with sugar so that makes it a “better for you” dessert, right? I think so.
How to Make Apple and Blackberry Crisp
For this recipe you’ll need:
- 6 apples (I used fuji but braeburn would work well, too)
- 10 tablespoons butter
- 6 oz blackberries
- 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats
- 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp and 1 pinch of salt
- 1 9×13 baking dish
- 2 mixing bowls
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350ºF, 180ºC. Peel the apples and then cut into about 1/4 inch slices. If you make them too thick they’ll take a lot longer to cook, so make them thin but not super thin.
Step 2
Add 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, and the pinch of salt to the apples; mix well so the apples are evenly covered. Don’t skip the salt, it helps bring out the flavor of the apples and balance the sweetness.
step 3
Place the apple mixture into your 9×13 baking dish and evenly spread them out. I love my oval casserole dish for crisp. If you’re interested in getting one for yourself check out this set which is just like mine. Sprinkle the blackberries over the top of the apples and cut 2 tablespoons of butter into chunks and place them around the apple mixture so they melt over the apples when baked.
Step 4
Mix the oats, flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp salt together in a separate bowl. Melt 8 tablespoons of butter and pour it into the dry ingredients. Mix well.
step 5
Sprinkle the oat mixture over the top of the apples. Try to make sure the apples are completely covered so you get a bit of crisp topping with each bite.
Step 6
Bake at 350ºF for 50 min to 1 hour or until apples are soft enough a fork easily goes through them and the crisp is browned. If the crisp is getting too brown before the apples are cooked, place a piece of aluminum foil over the top and that will stop the crisp from getting any browner and burning.
Now Enjoy!
Once the crisp is done, cool it and dig in. Try not to eat it in one setting. I know that’s hard, or at least that’s hard for me. Someone tell me I’m not the only one that has a sweet tooth!
I hope you love this apple and blackberry crisp with oat topping! Let me know in the comments if you try it.
Apple and Blackberry Crisp with Oat Topping
This Apple and Blackberry Crisp combines sweet apples and tart blackberries, topped with a buttery, golden oat crumble. Warm, comforting, and perfect with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!
Ingredients
- 6 sweet apples
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp + pinch of salt
- 2 Tbsp butter, cold or room temperature
- 8 Tbsp butter, melted
- 6 oz blackberries, fresh or frozen
- 1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF, 180ºC
- Peel, core and slice the apples into roughly 1/4 inch slices and place in a bowl
- Add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, and a pinch of salt to the apples, mix well
- Place the apple mixture into a 9x13 baking dish
- Sprinkle blackberries on top of the apples
- Cut the 2 Tsp of cold or room temperature butter into pieces and place on top of the apple and blackberry mix
- Mix the oats, flour, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and melted butter together in a small mixing bowl
- Sprinkle the mix evenly over the apple and blackberry filling
- Bake in the oven for 50 miin to 1 hour, or until the crisp topping browns and a fork easily passes through the apples
- Enjoy warm or cold!
